Merritte Weber Ireland was the 23rd U.S. Army Surgeon General, serving in that capacity from October 4, 1918 to May 31, 1931,

Ireland was born on May 31, 1867 in Columbia City, Indiana

Columbia City, Indiana

Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,750 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Whitley County.-Geography:Columbia City is located at...

, a town in the upper end of the Wabash Valley

Wabash Valley

The Wabash Valley is a region with parts in both Illinois and Indiana. It is named for the Wabash River and spans the middle to the middle-lower portion of the river and is centered at Terre Haute, Indiana...

 in Whitley County, Indiana

Whitley County, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 30,707 people, 11,711 households, and 8,607 families residing in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile . There were 12,545 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...

. His father, Dr. Martin Ireland, was born in Chillicothe, Ohio

Chillicothe, Ohio

Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...

, and his mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Fellers, came from Waynesboro, Virginia

Waynesboro, Virginia

Waynesboro, deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne, is an independent city surrounded by Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 21,006 in 2010.....

.

He graduated from the Detroit College of Medicine, receiving an M.D. degree in 1890. The following year was spent in Jefferson Medical College where again he earned an M.D. degree in 1891.